Detachable, interchangeable heels



April 6, 1965 P. D. KAPPS 3,

DETACHABLE, INTERCHANGEABLE HEELS Filed Dec. 27, 1963 INVENTOR. PH/L/P 0. KAPP BY H 47 4 Items- United States Patent 3,176,417 DETACHABLE, lNTERCI-HANGEAELE HEELS Philip D. Kappa, flee-rue S. Wacher Drive, Chicago, Ill. Filed Dec. 27, P363, er. No. 333,845 r (Ilaim. or. Evil-36) The present invention relates to rubber heels and has for its prime object to provide a shoe in combination with a rubber heel and means for detachably mounting the rubber heel on the heel of the shoe, so that the detaching and renewing of the rubber heel may be accomplished by an unskilled person in a short amount of time, with convenience and ease.

Another object being to so construct heel sections that they will be securely held on the boot or shoe so that they will not accidentally fall or slip off or become loose during their service, but will be of such construction that they may be easily removed by hand.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described which has detachable heel tread sections which can be interchanged from the right shoe to the left one for equal wear and for usefulness for longer periods of time than has been possible with any hitherto known heel construction.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described which will make it easy and inexpensive for the user to have always heels that atford a straight support for his feet, thus avoiding deformation of foot and ankle portions, and which also reduce to a minimum the danger of slipping and falling down due to worn heels.

Yet a still further object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described which is better adapted for being manufactured by means of inexpensive mass production processes than other exchangeable heels because the device according to the present invention consists of only two parts and does not need any springs, latches, hooks, screws or other mechanical parts.

With the foregoing and other objects which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangements of parts of the embodiment disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing I have set forth an illustrative embodiment of my invention.

In said drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view;

FIG. 4 is a detailed top plan view of a holder permanently attached to the heel of a shoe;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the detail of FIG. 4; and,

FIG. 6 is a detailed top plan view of a detachable and interchangeable heel tread portion.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawing the numeral 1 denotes a holder of plastic material, light metal or the like, which has a traverse portion 2 and a reduced portion 3 the upper side of which is flush with the upper side of the traverse portion 2. The portion 3 has a bevel U-shaped edge section 4 and a traverse groove 5 adjacent the portion 2, from the center section of which the portion 3 is extended. The holder 1. is secured to the lower side of a heel on a shoe or boot extended through holes 7 and 10 in the portions 2 and 3 respectively, and screwed or otherwise attached to the shoe heel.

A heel tread member 11 of rubber or the like, has a preferably U-shaped main portion 12 and a U-shaped recessed portion 15, a peripheral beveled section 17 of which fits snugly into the edge section 4 of the holder 1. A rib portion 20 extends upwardly from the outer end of the recess Jill and is adopted for snapping into the groove 5 in the holder 1 when the member 11 has been completely pushed upon the holder 1, thereby the edge section 4 of the holder 1 engaging the peripheral section 17 of the portion 15 of the member ll. Thus the interengaging sections 4 and 17 form a dove-tail connection between the holder 1 and the member 11; and the rib portion 2t engaging the groove 5, prevents an unwanted movement of the member 11 relative to the holder 1. However, if it is desired to remove the member 11 from the holder 1, for interchanging partially worn members 11 between right and left shoes, or for renewing a member H, the softness and resiliency of the rubber or the like material of which member 11 is made, allows a squeezing of the same and a pulling of the member 11 off the holder 1, thereby forcing the rib 29 out of the groove 5.

Since certain changes may be made in the above article and difierent embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claim is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which as a matter of language might be said to fall therebetween.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A detachable interchangeable heel for shoes comprising a T-shaped holder adapted to be secured to a shoe and having a longitudinal main portion and a reduced tongue portion, said reduced tongue portion being provided with bevel edge sections, a transverse groove extending across the bottom of the holder at the junction between the tongue portion and the main portion, and a resilient tread member having an open recess in its forward portion, said resilient tread member having bevel edge portions surrounding the open recess, and a transverse rib portion extending upwardly and into the open recess in the forward portion of the resilient tread member, whereby the transverse of the resilient tread member will snap into the transverse groove of the T-shaped holder for securing the resilient tread member to the holder.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,642,951 9/27 Harrison 3636 2,171,045 8/39 Ohstrom 3636 2,183,218 12/39 Hewson 3636 2,247,555 7/41 Kelley 3636 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. FRANK J. COHEN, Examiner. 

